ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. present — there
  3. press — newspapers
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. press — to push
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — a gift
  10. court — of law
  11. press — a publisher
  12. game — a match
  13. court — of a king
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mark — a trace
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com